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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · roll · ground · plane · saw · net · ball · capital

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. roll — a cake
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. net — for catching
  7. saw — the tool
  8. roll — a list
  9. capital — money
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. saw — the tool
  12. plane — a tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. ball — a great time
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. capital — a city
  18. ground — a position
  19. net — in sport
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ball — a dance
  23. net — after costs
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com